


Pressed Lily

by teecup_angel



Series: Flower Divergence Series [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Frottage, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Secret Relationship, Sylvain gets some in 1 scene, Teacher-Student Relationship, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:41:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21953110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teecup_angel/pseuds/teecup_angel
Summary: Although she had been the Black Eagle House’s professor, their relationship still blossomed that year and her betrayal left a festering wound inside him.Five years later, things have changed, some of which may have become twisted by the passage of time.(Crimson Flower AU, Dimileth, Dark-ish)
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Flower Divergence Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1523747
Comments: 32
Kudos: 106





	Pressed Lily

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kikurie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikurie/gifts).



> The [art](https://twitter.com/emcgame/status/1198521201783492608?s=19) that kickstarted this entire plot (warning: nsfw)
> 
> Just wanted to make a note to this now, this will be darker than all my other usual fic in terms of Dimitri’s personality (and maybe Byleth? Maaayybbeee). It’s more in line with his Crimson Flower personality: seems to be doing well but he’s really, really not (he just hides it better) but… we shall see if he gets better. But, hey, this will have a happy ending so we have that going for us. Also, I will add warnings as I go along with this fic concerning the kinks that will be added. Feel free to ask for any kinks you want added and I’ll see what I can do.
> 
> Also, I think Rhea deserves a warning of her own for being… well, herself, I guess?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the war, before he was the Tempest King and she was the Wings of Hegemon, they were simply two people playing a secret game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some lines were taken from both the Azure Moon route and the Crimson Flower route. 
> 
> Not tagging this as Underage as Dimitri is already 18 when they start having a sexual relationship.

The mysterious mercenary turned professor was a strange woman. 

That was the third impression he had of her.

His first impression of her was that she was beautiful and it had almost taken him by surprise by how he had time to have such thoughts when they were being chased by bandits but he felt like he had managed to hide it well. 

If there was one thing he knew he could do well, it was that he believed he had a firm grasp on hiding his true emotions behind his princely mask. 

His second impression of her was that she was a talented and skilled fighter yet it was for that very same reason that she had unnerved him. The way she handled the bandits and the precise commands she had given all three of them had been a clear indication of her talent and experience in the battlefield. The way her face expressed nothing reminded him of a porcelain doll and the beauty that he had noticed only made her doll-like expression more unnerving. The cold clinical tone of her voice as she ordered them around with no hesitation and the precise calculated way she moved when she took down the bandits almost seemed inhuman. The three houses’ mock battle with her leading the Black Eagle House into victory only solidified his second impression of her as her orders and own strength easily destroyed the two other houses. He wasn’t sure how the Golden Deer House took such utter defeat but most of the members of the Blue Lion House had taken the humiliation to heart and had all become motivated to become better and stronger. Such weakness was unforgivable to many who had been raised and had grown up in Faerghus. As their house leader and future king, it fell on his shoulders to ensure everyone reached their maximum potential. Professor Hanneman didn’t know just how deep their defeat had carved inside them and Dimitri didn’t bother to explain to him about it as it could only lead to more unnecessary questions from the Adrestian professor. As far as their professor was concerned, the prince was simply taking active support to his fellow housemates’ studies. 

His third impression was created when he saw her running all over the monastery, doing so many different things Dimitri wasn’t exactly sure how she had enough time to take care of the plants in the greenhouse, go fishing, feed the many random stray cats and dogs in the monastery, invite people to choir practice, invite people to meals and still have the time to talk to everyone in the monastery and take care of their problems for them.

It always seemed like the passage of time was merely a suggestion when it concerned her but that was simply him being in awe of her impeccable time management skills.

Regardless, her strangeness held a certain… charm that he cannot help but be captivated with. He couldn’t help but turn his head towards her whenever their paths intersected nor could he help but watch from afar as she did her business while he was in the vicinity.

It was due to his frequent observations that he had noticed how often their eyes would meet or how often he could turn to watch her only to find out that she had already been watching him.

He was used to people turning away or lowering their head when he catches them staring at him but she never did any of those. Most of the time, she stared at him silently for a few more seconds before finally giving a slow nod which he would always return or she would simply continue to stare at him until one of them had to turn their attention towards something else. The prolonged staring became more and more common as time passed on and he noticed how her very gaze affected him. Every time their eyes met, his heart started to beat faster than it should and he could feel himself heating up. His breath would always hitch whenever her eyes would travel to glance at his lips before returning to his eyes once more and he knew that she did the same whenever he would return the gesture. 

He knew he shouldn’t jump into any conclusion. Not only would it be embarrassing if his conclusion proved to be false but jumping into the wrong conclusion could also easily affect their position negatively if people ever find out.

That’s why he tried to be discreet with this little game of theirs.

And she seemed to be doing the same. No matter how long they stared at one another, he realized that they always did it whenever the people they would consider to be observant wasn’t around. He had noticed it first when she only nodded at him one time when she was with Hubert, talking about the Black Eagle House’s mission for that month while he had simply been passing by on his way to the library. He had nodded back at her and saw that Edelgard’s loyal retainer was staring at him. He had nodded at him as well and the black-haired man bowed in a respective way but Dimitri could feel that he was absolutely not sincere about it. He paid it no heed, of course, used to the fake respect he would sometimes receive by now. 

He did the same when he saw her watching him while he had been talking with Sylvain about his upcoming Mage certification exam. She might not realize it but his red-haired childhood friend was the most observant person he personally knew. He might pretend to be carefree and lazy but his strict upbringing brought by his future duties and responsibilities as the next margrave of House Gautier had given him many skills he hides behind his carefree casanova facade. He knew, for a fact, that the margrave had ordered that his heir’s education dwell deeper on the political side of things after Glenn’s death and the falling out of Rodrigue and Felix. Dimitri wasn’t entirely privy about what such education might include but he was sure that one of them was the honing of his observation skills. It only took the older student catching him staring at her once for him to ask if he had a crush on the Black Eagle House’s professor.

He had simply asked him not to ask a stupid question and he could see how those clear light brown eyes dissected his words, noting how his words neither confirmed nor denied it. A quick warning glare was all he needed to do to make the older student back off.

Still, it left a bitter taste in his mouth the way his childhood friend had bowed respectively afterward. There was no fake sincerity in it, only the immense loyalty that sometimes made him uncomfortable. He didn’t say anything against it though.

If he had given Sylvain even an inch to work with, the redhead would have taken it and gone to town with it. If certain people even hear Sylvain teasing him jokingly about such thing, both of their position would be threatened.

Also, he couldn’t help but find some kind of thrill with this little secret game of theirs.

He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and frustrated by the fact that the Black Eagle House received missions concerning kingdom matters.

He had already been frustrated by the fact that his uncle and the royal court had gone behind his back in enlisting the help of the Knights of Seiros when the Grand Knight Order of Fhirdiad could have easily taken care of the problem. Their fear of Fhirdiad being attacked if the knight order was dispatched was valid, yes, but it was, in his eyes, the better alternative than showing another faction, even a neutral faction such as the church, how the past years have weakened the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Even if Fhirdiad was attacked, it wouldn’t fall so easily and it wasn’t like the entire knight order would be sent to deal with the problem. Not to mention, Lonato’s grievance may have been towards the church but he was still a noble under the kingdom and it was the kingdom’s responsibility to respond to Gaspard territory’s revolt while Miklan was House Gautier’s problem and should have been dealt by the margrave himself as Miklan’s disownment had been his decision. He was sure the margrave had asked assistance from the kingdom nobles first and they had pushed his plea to the royal court who had decided to ask help from the Knight of Seiros even though Rodrigue and a few of the more experienced knights in the northern kingdom territories could have easily taken care of Miklan had he simply been given the order to intervene which Dimitri would have done had it been his choice as Rodrigue was more experienced and had the Shield of Aegis to counter the Lance of Ruin at his disposal. The head of House Fraldarius would have been discreet about it as well. 

It was the kingdom’s responsibility to take care of the revolts and bandits just like how they have been doing since that… day.

As if to rub salt to the wound, the archbishop had refused his personal request to assign all kingdom related missions to the Blue Lion House, stating that the mission each house received would be in accordance with their current strength and the importance of each mission. Her favoritism towards the Black Eagle House was clear to all ever since the Black Eagle House’s professor had received the Sword of the Creator. Even when Flayn was kidnapped, the archbishop had clearly leaned towards the Black Eagle House to solve the mystery even when the entire monastery, including the Blue Lion House and the Golden Deer House, was trying their best to find the missing girl.

Once more, he wasn’t strong enough to take care of his people and that only left a bitter taste in his mouth. The voices made it clear how they had felt over his failure and each day became harder and harder for him to pretend to not listen to them. His bad mood might have unintentionally seeped into his studies and training as Mercedes had asked if he was alright when the voices had grown too loud for him to even hear the world around him and even Felix had growled at him for being too reckless after their last spar.

Then she had asked for a spar with him and everything… just disappeared.

For that brief moment, all that mattered was the two of them. Their movements, their attacks, the very sound of their training lances colliding with one another with each parry and each block, the feeling of the wind passing by them as they evaded and dodged…

Everything was clear and focused. For once in a long time, Dimitri could actually feel like he was in control.

They had ended their spar when he had unintentionally broken both of their lances in half when he had been trying to sweep her feet and she had blocked his attack. His cheeks had reddened in embarrassment for his loss of control, an apology already forming on his tongue, when he heard her laugh. 

With the voices quiet for once, he could clearly hear his thoughts as they whisper to him the desire to hold the woman in front of him in his arms. To feel her skin, to taste her lips…

No one was more surprised than him when he had tucked her hair behind her ear, causing her to stop laughing. He couldn’t even have the consolation of feeling her warmth due to his gauntlets as his face began to heat up once more. The bout of, what was without a doubt, insanity having left him the moment the sound of her laughter had stopped and the sound of her broken lance dropping to the floor sounded like a thunderstrike in his ears. Her eyes met his and all he could do was watch silently as she took a step towards him, his breath hitching as he saw her quickly lick her bottom lip before he felt her fingers gently trace the knuckles of his gauntlet. She was so close all he had to do was grab her and-

“Professor?! Where are you?!” Caspar’s loud voice had them stepping away from one another quickly. They stared at each other for a second before they both turned. He stayed behind while she walked out of the training hall, meeting Caspar outside before the energetic boy could enter the hall, “Oh, there you are, Professor! Edelgard’s been looking for you.”

Gripping the broken lance in his hand tightly, Dimitri closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, the voices were murmurs submerged underwater and his princely mask was perfect once more. He took the broken lance she had dropped and disposed of all four parts before leaving the training hall. As he stepped out of the training hall, he saw Dedue kneeling by the entrance, observing the flowers that had bloomed on the grass. He felt himself grimace slightly when he saw the look on his friend’s face as he turned to look at his liege, knowing with just a simple look that the older man knew.

Yet, neither of them said anything about it and Dimitri took solace in the fact that Dedue would not do anything that would jeopardize either of them.

Whatever spell had enchanted them that day did not appear once more yet the aftereffect of what could have been clearly changed their usual game. No longer did they watch each other from afar. Instead, the darkness of an alcove or the emptiness of a room would be the stage of their new game. A secret game of small smiles and unwavering stares as soft words escaped their lips forming stories of their individual past and experiences. 

Not even his house’s defeat in the Battle of Eagle and Lion could change their new game. She had been impressed by the two houses’ devious plan of allying with each other to take down the Black Eagle House, a plan that had surprised the Golden Deer House’s leader when he had heard of the proposal from the mouth of the prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus himself. Under normal circumstances, he would have not even dared to do such a thing as some may consider it as dishonorable but an alliance had been necessary if they wanted to take out the house led by the formidable legendary mercenary turned professor. He had already gotten the approval of his closest allies as the prospect of victory was more tempting after their bitter lost months ago and the rest of the Blue Lion House had accepted his decision like they would any royal decree. Their professors had assumed (just like everyone else) that the Riegan heir had been the one to propose an alliance. Neither he nor Claude bothered to clear the misunderstanding. If he was being honest, he felt that the dark-haired house leader found the entire thing amusing and interesting. It had only failed because Edelgard had managed to sow distrust between the two houses using her own troops to whisper conflicting orders and rumors which had worked as the two houses had never cooperated with one another before this. It was even a devious plan if he was being honest and even Claude was impressed by the underhanded tactic Edelgard had employed, especially after both male house leaders realized that she had left her own teacher in the dark. Claude loved it and Dimitri simply chuckled even though he saw the hurt that the dark teal-haired woman tried to hide at the revelation. He was sure his fellow house leaders did not see it but he did.

He wanted to believe he knew her enough to see the emotions hidden underneath her stoic expression.

She would later whisper to him that she felt that Edelgard was hiding something from her. That every time she talked to the future emperor, she felt as if the younger woman was always grading her in some kind of internal scale that she could not decipher. 

That day, they started to whisper to each other their problems and worries as well. 

Each word whispered so close to one another, faces just inches apart. He could feel her warm breath against his skin as he hid her with his larger frame, caging her with his body against a wall or a bookcase as her hand gently caress the knuckles of his gauntlet while his other hand rested upon her back. There was no more denying the intention behind both their actions. No more pretenses or excuses to fall back into while their eyes gaze upon one another as only a few inches separated their lips. 

But never did they ever close the gap. 

It frustrated Dimitri to no end. She was so close and all he had to do was lean down to capture her lips but he wasn’t sure if he should be the one to take the final step. He wanted her to take the final step, wanted her to confirm her intention first. 

He wanted to make sure that what he wished was what she truly wanted as well.

But, every time they would continue their little game, a piece of his restraint would break. 

Until it all fell apart the night he saw her dance with Claude von Riegan. 

Claude was… an enigma, a different kind of mystery that he was curious about but not curious enough to pursue it. There were many reasons why a person would wish to keep their secrets close to their hearts, especially for a member of a high-ranking noble house such as House Riegan, and he respected that.

It would be hypocritical of him to pursue such a thing when he himself held a dark secret as well. 

Not to mention, he could feel a certain… freedom around the Golden Deer House’s leader. They were not of equal standing, he was to become a king of an entire kingdom while Claude was to become a duke with a high standing in a faction that was ruled by many noble houses, but Claude paid it no heed and it was refreshing to simply talk to someone who treated him as an equal. 

Edelgard… things were complicated concerning her that their standing was left in some kind of tipping scale. They were meant to be equal yet there were times that Dimitri felt like it wasn’t equal at all… 

His relationship with Claude was simple and he enjoyed that simplicity for what it was. He knew most, if not all, of the dark-haired boy’s conversations were meant to reveal things about him and perhaps the kingdom itself but that was nothing new for Dimitri. He had lived his entire life surrounded by nobles who would hide their true intention underneath kind and sweet words. By now, it was simply second nature for him to revert to his princely mask and polite words. He felt no ill intention from the Riegan heir but there was no reason to show his hand when Claude himself didn’t show his. Not that he expected such a thing to happen in the first place.

To him, Claude was… an almost friend of some sort, a future ally perhaps once they have taken up the leadership of their respective houses. 

Yet, seeing him dance so casually and merrily with her made him… irrational. 

The jealousy he felt as he saw the way they danced so publicly without a care in what others may think and the sight of him holding her hands when he himself could barely feel her whenever they touch because of his gauntlet coiled and twisted around his heart like thorns. 

It would be so easy to simply ask for her second dance once the music had stopped but he couldn’t. Once the music had stopped, another student was already in front of him and was asking shyly for a dance. He couldn’t say no as that would not be how a prince like him should act. 

So he danced with the shy girl who looked so happy and relieved that he had not rejected her. 

He danced with everyone who had asked, staying in the dancefloor until Sylvain finally took pity on him and charmed his next partner to dance with him instead while Mercedes took his hands and danced with him next. He felt her tug him towards a certain direction and let her do as she pleased without any complaints, trusting her as he always had. At the end of the piece, he realized that they had danced at the edge of the dancefloor and Ashe quickly asked him to try out a plate full of different foods while Ingrid did the same with another plate filled with different meat dishes. They led him away from the dancefloor and to a part of the room where Annette and Dedue were waiting with refreshments for Dimitri (not that he needed that much refreshment but he appreciated the gesture) while his fellow Blue Lion students surrounded him and chatted with one another, obviously protecting him from any other hopeful students who wished for a dance. As he tried out one of Ashe’s recommendations, saying it was delicious even though he could not taste anything at all, he glanced back at the dancefloor. 

Claude was easy to spot with that bright yellow cape of his. He was dancing with the Goneril girl now, too close for it to be proper yet the air around them was casual and friendly as he saw the Riegan heir whisper something in her ear that made the girl laugh. Edelgard was also easy to spot with her white hair and vibrant red cape. She was still dancing as well and he could not fight the feeling of nostalgia that invaded him at the sight of her gracefully dancing. 

It was moments like this that reminded him of their past together. It also brought to him an uncontrollable wave of sadness brought by the fact that it seemed she did not remember him at all. Perhaps her time with him mattered more to him than it did to her.

His maudlin state would only sour the festivity around him even if he hid it behind his princely mask, especially to the people currently surrounding him as they seem more in tune with him than he had come to expect. With a small smile, he excused himself, earning a disappointed but understanding look from his closest allies and a respectful bow from the rest of the Blue Lion students. 

Meeting her outside away from everyone else had been a surprise. The look on her face when she saw him told him she was just as surprised as him. Her question about him dancing with Edelgard only reminded him of what he had thought about a few moments ago. He had confessed to her the truth about their relationship, childhood friends who had actually been step-siblings yet they both didn’t know about it at that time.

The future emperor probably doesn’t even know about it even now. To Edelgard, he was probably just some noble boy she had met a few times during her stay in Faerghus.

The dark teal-haired woman seemed to have noticed the bitterness he tried to hide and she had asked if he’d be adverse to him accompanying her for a walk. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the question, earning a soft smile from her lips when he replied that he would love to and offering her his arm. He felt her loop her arm around his and placed her other hand on his forearm before they started to walk. He wasn’t sure if he had unintentionally led her or if she led him but, before he knew it, they were in the goddess tower, staring at the night sky as they rested their elbows on one of the windows with the soft murmur of the music from the ball surrounding them as only an inch separated their shoulders from one another.

He remembered the legend of the goddess tower and he could not deny but wish that the legend was true, that if they wished here and now, their fate would be intertwined for all eternity. That would be a wonderful… dream… 

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” She asked, turning to stare at him with an emotionless expression on her face.

He turned to stare at her, unsure of how to answer her question. He was sure Sylvain would have said something like “but it’s beauty pales in comparison to you” and, as much as he believed it was actually true, he was hesitant to say such a thing, fearing she would find it funny and probably out of character for him. Not to mention, he would be dying of embarrassment if he did say such a thing.

His lack of answer seemed to amuse her though as her lips curved into a small smile. She turned back to stare at the nightly sky as she asked instead in an almost teasing way, “Were you jealous?”

Her eyes were trained on his face as she added, “When I danced with Claude?”

He looked away as he asked back, “Was it that obvious?”

She hummed for a moment before replying, “No, not really. I saw you glance a bit but that’s all. I just… I guess I just had a feeling.”

She closed her eyes as she admitted, “Or maybe it’s more accurate to say I had wished you would be.”

His head turned to stare at her so quickly he was surprised that he didn’t get whiplash. She opened her eyes and leaned towards him, pressing her shoulder against his, as she whispered, “Did my wish come true?”

He leaned towards her as well with narrowed eyes as he whispered back, his voice huskier and lower than usual, “It did. It worked so well that it took all of my willpower to not storm towards the two of you and take you into my arms but I must admit that knowing you had planned it does make me a bit bitter about it.”

Her chuckle was soft and almost airy. She rested her chin against his shoulder as she corrected, “I didn’t plan to dance with him, you know. He just went up to me and dragged me to the dancefloor. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t reject his offer because I had been jealous of seeing you dance with someone else.”

“Byleth…” He whispered her name as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. Only during these small moments, these little games of theirs, that he could call her by her name. She closed her eyes and sighed softly as she heard him whisper, “I wish you had been my first dance and I was yours. I wish I could show everyone that… that…”

His lips failed to form the words that had been beating inside his mind ever since he saw her dance with Claude, restrained by his will alone. She opened her eyes and repeated, “That?”

It would be easy to say it, to say those three words that his mind had been repeating to him the entire time he had seen her far away from him, dancing with someone else.

The silence stretched for an almost uncomfortably long time yet she didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she raised her hand slowly and placed it by the side of his neck. Her hand was warm against the exposed skin unprotected by the high collar of his uniform yet his attention was held by her next words, “Do you know why I didn’t choose Blue Lion, Dimitri?”

“Why?” He whispered back, feeling his heartbeat too fast for his comfort. 

“Because I’m not a good person.” She explained vaguely. 

Before he could ask what she had meant by that and to argue that she was one of the kindest persons he had ever known, she pulled him towards her and captured his lips.

His eyes widened as he froze. A beat later, she pulled away slowly, a mirthless smile on her face. As he watched her as she removed her hand from his neck and slowly stand, he realized that she thought he didn’t want… he didn’t…

Acting on instinct and unrestrained desire, he grabbed her by the waist and crashed their lips together as his body moved in an effort to stop her from leaving. His momentum caused her to take a few steps back and his feet moved to follow her, unintentionally pressing her against the wall next to the window. He pressed his body against hers and he felt her wrap her arms around his neck as her lips parted. He groaned as he greedily deepened the kiss, pressing her against the wall as all of his restraints fell apart at the feeling of her body pressed against his and the scandalous sounds that escaped both of their lips.

He slid his hands lower, feeling her moan against his as she felt him rest his hands on her-

“Sylvain!” They both froze at the giggling voice of a woman and someone shushing her which only made her giggle louder. Hearing footsteps nearing them, Dimitri acted without any thoughts, lifting her up while his hands were on her ass. She gasped and wrapped her legs around his waist and he quickly hid by sitting behind the many crates hidden in the shadows just in time as two people rushed towards the room. 

He barely saw his childhood’s red hair before it was covered by a woman’s long brown hair who had pulled him into a kiss. They stumbled and fell on the floor, making the woman giggle as the Gautier heir tried to hush her. He finally succeeded by capturing her lips once more, making her moan instead.

Behind the crates, Dimitri wanted to curse his childhood friend. He cannot believe that the one who would actually stop him from, as Sylvain liked to say, having fun was the same person who had tried to get him to have some fun in the first place.

The irony of the entire thing wasn’t lost to him but he couldn’t help but desire to smack the redhead with a training lance repeatedly for this. He would definitely do so the next time they were training together.

Had he been thinking straight, he would have thought about letting her hide while he stayed to stare at the two interlopers and lie to them by saying he was waiting for Sylvain because he knew that his carefree childhood friend would just appear with a paramour in his arms. Or, perhaps it would be better if she had been the one to stay out in the open and say that she was waiting for couples like Sylvain and his companion to come in the Goddess Tower as a kind of pat-

His breath hitched as he felt her move, unintentionally grinding against his groin. He turned towards her and, even in the darkness, he could make out the impish grin on her face. He opened his mouth but he wasn’t even sure if he was going to stop her or ask for more. Thankfully, she took the choice away from him as she pressed her lips against his. He shamelessly grabbed her ass, muffling her moan with his mouth as he lightly bit her bottom lip. Her breath hitched and he felt her slowly move her hips. The friction was both a blessing and a curse that barely left him with enough cohesive thought at the moment to keep the noises they made into a minimum but the noises Sylvain’s latest partner was making from the other side of the crates was helping mask their own. They parted for just a brief moment and he couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction in hearing her breath heavily as a line of saliva connected their lips. Dimitri bit his bottom lip to stop the moan threatening to escape as the pleasurable torture of her grinding against him continued. He gripped her ass tightly and she let out a breathless moan.

As the moaning and groaning grew louder from the other side, their own breathing became shallower and harsher as she continued to grind against him. He had placed his hands on her waist, gripping her so tightly it would definitely bruise later. He kept his eyes closed tightly, breathing heavily as he felt her leave soft kisses on his jaw and the part of his neck that was unprotected by his uniform. He bit his bottom lip to stop the frustrated groan attempting to escape as he wished more than her soft kisses, wished that she could leave a mark on his skin.

He wished he could leave a mark on a part of her skin that everyone could see.

He captured her lips once more, shamelessly biting her bottom lip and enjoying the delicious moan that escaped her lips.

He was so close and she seemed to have realized it as she rubbed harder and faster against him. 

“Byleth…” He couldn’t help but groaned out her name, “I’m… I’m…”

He felt her lips graze his ear as she whispered breathlessly, “Go on. C-”

“SYLVAIN!”

Dimitri’s groan was frustrated and murderous, barely masked by the loud yelping of Sylvain’s latest partner and the redhead’s own frustrated but not murderous groan. 

“You’re disgusting.” He could hear the annoyance in his dark-haired childhood friend’s tone and could just imagine the Fraldarius heir glaring at their oldest friend as he ordered, “Get dressed. Seteth is about to start his rounds.” 

He felt her stop and he dropped his head on her shoulder, muffling his annoyed and frustrated growl as they heard the rustling of clothes while Sylvain bemoaned, “Come on, Felix. You couldn’t have waited for just a few more minutes?”

Dimitri would have even been good with just one more minute.

Curse his childhood friends for their impeccable timing!

She softly caressed his back as she rested her head on his shoulder as well, causing him to slightly relax.

He was still going to take out his frustrations on both of them the next time they spar together. He’ll even give them a handicap and let them go against him at once.

He was going to obliterate them both with no hesitation and mercy. 

“Let’s do this again, Sylvain.” The Gautier heir’s current partner simpered, earning a growl from the dark-haired student.

“Leave.” Felix ordered in an annoyed tone, making her harrumph before Dimitri heard the telltale sounds of someone leaving. 

“You are such a killjoy, Fe- owowowowow!” Dimitri heard movements and could just imagine Felix grabbing Sylvain by the ear and dragging him out of the tower. Ingrid tended to do it as well whenever she was just so done with all of Sylvain’s shenanigans. 

Both of them got it from Glenn who would do the same thing to Sylvain whenever the redhead would start flirting too much. 

They waited until the sounds his two childhood friends were making became inaudible. The silence stretched for a few moments and Dimitri realized that even the music from the ball had stopped which meant that the ball had already ended. 

The next sound Dimitri heard was her snorting before finally letting out a burst of loud laughter that caught him by surprise. He turned towards her and she stared at him for a moment before continuing to laugh. The sound of her laughter caused him to lose it, laughing alongside her as the sheer ridiculousness of their situation finally dawned on him. 

He sighed and shook his head as he mumbled, “Perhaps this could be called a goddess’ intervention.”

Her laughter stopped, staring at him for a few moments before she burst out laughing harder than before. It took a few seconds before her laughter finally subsided enough for her to catch her breath. She placed both her arms around his shoulders and pressed her forehead against his as she said in an amused tone, “I assure you, the goddess herself is quite frustrated over the interruption.”

This time it was his time to snort. He tried to stop himself but it proved futile as he started to guffaw. The very idea of the goddess herself having a personal interest in all of this was definitely the funniest thing he has ever heard. She simply smiled at him, letting him catch his breath. Before she could say anything, he kissed her. Their kiss was slow and relaxed turning playful when she bit his bottom lip before pulling away slightly. She kissed the edge of his mouth before whispering, “We should go. Seteth’s probably patrolling for stragglers by now. It won’t be long before he checks this tower.”

He sighed in resignation, knowing she was right. Still, he kissed her one more time and held her close. He felt her relax against him as she sighed. They kissed until they had no choice but to pull away when the need for air became too much, resting their foreheads against each other as they try to catch their breath. 

When he leaned forward once more, she pressed her index finger against his lips. She kissed his forehead before whispering, “Next time, Dimitri.”

He gulped and nodded as he agreed, “Next time.”

Their ‘next time’ never came as this month’s mission ended with the death of the legendary Blade Breaker. 

The death of Captain Jeralt Reus Eisner was mourned by the entire monastery. Sadness and anger covered Garreg Mach like a fog, slowly suffocating everyone without them knowing.

Dimitri knew though. He had lived in the same suffocating fog for the past four years in Castle Blaiddyd. 

He was not close with the older man but he felt the pain of his death probably harder than most of them. She had told him about her childhood and of how her father had done everything he could to keep her safe and healthy, had tried to be the best father he could be given their circumstances and how she had loved him dearly. Those precious memories she had shared with him was enough for him to take the late captain’s death personal.

But what he felt right now did not matter. What mattered was what she felt. 

What mattered was her.

He left Sylvain and Mercedes to take care of any pending and urgent concerns in the Blue Lion House and had asked Dedue and Ashe to support the two. None of them asked where he was going or what he was going to do. They didn’t have to. Even if they didn’t know (or wasn’t sure) about his relationship with the late captain’s daughter, they knew him enough to know that he was planning to find her and talk to her. 

Everyone was worried about the missing professor but no one dared try to find her yet as they all knew she was still grieving.

He first checked the room that had been assigned to her but no one answered the door nor did he hear any movements from the room itself so he assumed she was not in her room. He would check the monastery first before returning here to see if she had returned. He checked the lake where she liked to fish and the marketplace where she usually spent more than an hour checking the goods and deliberating with herself of which item or gear her class needed for the next mission. He checked the dining hall, the courtyard, and even the training hall before going up to the second floor. It might have been chance or fate playing a helping hand that he saw her exit the audience chamber, walking towards the hallway of the second floor. He followed her quickly but did not call out to her. No one was loitering around the hallway but Seteth’s office was in that hallway and the older man would easily hear him if he was in his office. Now wasn’t the time for anyone to wonder why the head of the Blue Lion House would be talking to the professor of the Black Eagle House.

Instead, he followed her silently and entered the captain’s quarters after her. The sound of the door opening and closing just a few moments after she had just closed it made her turn around and she couldn’t hide the surprise in her face as she stared at him while he locked the door behind him as a precaution before he walked towards her. 

Unsure if his touch would be welcomed at all, he slowly raised his hand, watching her face for any hint of discomfort or disgust. She watched his hand as his finger lightly pressed her own. His hand stayed still, letting her feel the pressure but not doing anything else. 

“Byleth…” He whispered, watching her doll-like emotionless expression as she continued to stare at his hand, “There’s no need to hide it from me. I know you are in pain.”

Her entire body turned rigid at those words but he pressed on, keeping his voice soft and low as he continued, “I want you to know that, no matter what, I’m here for you. If you wish me to stay by your side, not even the Goddess herself can take me away from you. If you wish me to leave you alone, I will leave and wait for you for as long as you wish. I will do whatever you want. All I ask is…”

He slowly raised his other hand, giving her a chance to pull away or slap his hand away, and gently tucked her hair behind her ear as he whispered, “Please do not hide your pain from me.”

“There is no shame in crying.” He gently touched her cheek, a fleeting caress softer than a feather, as he continued, “Moving forward no matter what happens is not a sign of strength.”

“Taking the time to grieve for those we’ve lost…” He took a deep breath yet the pain would not leave his voice, “There’s strength in that too. That’s what I think, anyway.” 

She raised her head to stare at his face and his heart broke at the sight of her stoic mask falling apart before his eyes. Her eyes watered with unshed tears and her lips trembled. She took a step towards him and bit her bottom lip to muffle a sob before finally falling into his arms. 

He held her tightly and closed his eyes, letting her cry in his arms. He could feel the front of his uniform grow wet from her tears but he paid it no heed and simply held her. She was so small like this, so… so defenseless.

He knew that she was strong, one of the strongest persons he had ever met. But seeing her like this, holding her as she cried, he wanted to protect her. He wanted to keep her safe.

Away from everything…

He patiently waited for her sobs to die off and for her tears to stop, holding her in his arms as he rested his chin on the top of her head while he gently caressed her back. He reluctantly let her pull away from him slowly, watching her as she rubbed her eyes before chuckling weakly as she mumbled, “Sorry. I got your uniform wet.”

He shook his head and gently wiped the wetness on her cheeks using his cape. It was a bit ridiculous if he was being honest but his cape was a better alternative than the cold and hard texture of his gauntlets. She let him clean her cheeks with an almost amused glint in her otherwise red lifeless eyes and stared at him as he whispered, “This will dry. Like all of our tears…”

He closed his eyes as he said, “It’s an important reminder that no matter how sad you are, eventually, your tears will dry up.”

“Dimitri…” She whispered, making him open his eyes.

He smiled softly at her as he took both her hands to his, “It might take a week. Perhaps a month. Perhaps even years. But there will come a time when these painful tears of yours will dry up. When that time comes…”

His grip on her hands tightened ever so slightly but they remained gentle, always so gentle, as he continued, “That’s when you have to figure out what it is you’re living for. Then you can cling to that, with all your might, and start moving forward again.”

“What I’m living for?” She repeated softly, almost in a dazed tone.

He couldn’t help himself. Even though he knew he should be focusing on her, he wanted to explain to her, to tell her about what had happened four years ago.

He told her of the day he lost almost everyone he had loved. He told her of what he must do, what had pushed him forward, what drove him.

He must continue what they had started, to ensure they would have no regrets.

And he must avenge them all… 

“That’s my duty, as the sole survivor of the tragedy.” He said with determination and frozen rage coating his every word. He kept his eyes trained on hers, hoping against hope that she would not turn around, that this painful truth would not make her walk away from him. 

“It's a heavy burden.” He admitted before continuing, “But accepting it gave me the strength to pick myself up off the ground and start moving again. Start living again.” 

“Jeralt is gone…” His voice remained soft yet he knew those words had hurt her. Still, he pressed on, whispering to her, “So what will you do now, Byleth? What must you do?” 

“Look deep in your heart and I’m certain you’ll find the answer there… indelible and inescapable.” He said as he gently let go of her left hand before adding, “And know that no matter what your answer may be, no matter what path you choose to walk…”

He knelt in front of her, making her eyes widen as he pressed his lips on the knuckles of her right hand before declaring with all of his heart, “I will stand by your side. Your enemies are my enemies. Whatever you wish, whatever you desire, I will do everything in my power to grant them.” 

She stared at him silently for a few seconds and he felt the hand he was holding tremble against his hold. Before he could do anything, she fell on top of him, crashing their lips together. He lost his balance and fell on the floor, taking her with him. 

Her kiss was desperate and fevered but he accepted it without any hesitation, placing his hands on her waist as she straddled his hips. She pulled away, causing a trail of saliva to connect their bottom lips as they breathed heavily. She rubbed against him, making his breath hitch, and asked, “You would do whatever I desire, right, Dimitri?”

Each word was accompanied by the torturous pleasure of her grinding against him and he replied breathlessly, “Yes. Anything.”

“Then kiss me.” She ordered, kissing the side of his lips. She grabbed both of his hands and guided them towards her breasts, “Touch me.”

She leaned forward, whispering to his ear as she rubbed against him, “Fuck me.”

He froze at those words and she slowly pulled back, staring at him with eyes… 

“No.” He whispered, making her freeze. Seeing her about to get up, he pulled her before she could move away and held her tightly in his arms as he whispered, “If you wish for comfort then I shall comfort you with my words. If you wish for my warmth then I shall gladly hold you.” 

“And nothing would bring me joy than to finally take you. To mark every inch of your body as mine.” He kissed her temple before whispering, “But not like this.”

He pushed her away slightly so he could look at her face, at the tears still falling from her eyes. He kissed her cheek, not minding the wetness that transferred to his lips before whispering, “This is not what you truly want.” 

He placed both of his hands on her neck gently and rested his forehead against hers as he confessed, “Laugh if you wish but I want our first time… I want it to be special.”

Her breath hitched as she saw clearly how he felt for her in his clear blue eyes as he continued, “I want it to be real.”

“Dimitri…” She placed both her hands on his cheeks as she whispered, “They are real. What I feel for you… I’ve never felt like this for anyone else.” 

She let out a weak mirthless chuckle before whispering with a trembling voice, “I fucked up. I… I’m so sorry, Dimitri. I told you I’m not a good person.”

His lips curved into a soft smile and he kissed her gently. It was a soft chaste kiss but it only made her tears fall more. Not caring anymore about how his gauntlets must feel against her skin, he gently wiped her tears away as he whispered, “You’re hurting and grieving. This isn’t you being a bad person. This is you being human, Byleth.”

He leaned forward, their lips just a few inches away from one another, and whispered, “And even if you are not a good person, I would still accept you for who you are. Your light and your darkness… I’ll accept it all.” 

“Dimitri… I…” 

They both froze when they heard the sound of the doorknob being twisted, the lock keeping it in place as someone twisted the door, trying to twist it open three times.

Someone knocked on the door three times before calling out, “Professor? Are you in there?”

Their eyes widened as they both recognized the sound of Edelgard’s voice. They quickly got up just as Edelgard knocked thrice once more as she asked, “Professor?”

“Yes?!” She shouted back as they looked around the office for a hiding place. He stared at her with wide eyes, silently asking her why she answered? If she had kept quiet, Edelgard would have left sooner or later. She raised her arms as she shrugged, her own eyes wide as his.

“I would like to talk to you if that is alright? May I come in?” The future emperor asked from the other side of the door, making Dimitri raise an eyebrow as he pointed at himself then the door. 

She straightened her back and she glanced somewhere behind him which made the prince turn to see what she was looking at. There was nothing behind him but a wall void of any decorations or pattern. She grabbed his wrist as she said, “Sure! Just give me a minute!”

Dimitri could only let her manhandle him to hide underneath the desk, unable to keep the annoyed look on his face as he was, once more, hiding from one of his childhood friends.

He was cursed. The goddess has definitely cursed him.

She chuckled softly at the expression on his face and kissed him briefly, biting his bottom lip playfully for a moment before pulling away. She poked him on the nose before whispering with a coy smile, “Behave.”

He glared at her half-heartedly, making her giggle softly. 

The sight of her smile made his own lips curve into a soft smile, finding joy in seeing her lightened expression. 

“Professor?” Edelgard called out once more from the other side of the door.

“Coming!” She shouted, briskly walking towards the door. Dimitri leaned back against the desk and folded his knees as he hoped that Edelgard would leave soon. 

He heard the door open and Edelgard’s voice saying, “Professor…” 

The younger woman paused before Dimitri heard her say, “You’ve been crying.”

“So even you cry sometimes.” Edelgard commented lightly, making Dimitri clench his fists at her callous words, before saying, “Oh… I suppose that was thoughtless of me to say.”

Did she think that Byleth had no emotions? She must have seen her smile that day after the Battle of the Eagle and Lions. Was it so surprising for her to see her cry over the loss of her only family?

“It’s fine.” Her voice held a cold tone yet Dimitri could hear the hurt she tried to hide.

“My teacher.” There was a hint of reverence in Edelgard’s tone at that term of… endearment? Could Dimitri call it that? In contrast, her next words were calm and sharp, “You’re so blinded by grief that you can’t see what’s going on right in front of you.” 

“Are you waiting for time to heal your wounds?” She asked her professor calmly, “Or have you curled up in a corner and lost the will to carry on?” 

Dimitri wanted to get out of his hiding place and shout at his childhood friend. How dare she say such a thing to Byleth. How dare she-

“How could you ask me something like that?” Byleth’s voice was calm and collected but he knew her well enough to hear the building rage she hides so well. 

“It’s not like you to speak to me like that.” Edelgard sounded mildly surprised by her question before she said instead of answering her, “You know I’d never ask you a question without a purpose.” 

“Only you can truly understand your own sadness.” The white-haired woman told her, “Others can sympathize or even empathize, but all anyone else can offer are the tears of an outsider looking in.”

“So I have no intention of crying for you, or of standing still with you.” She declared and it took all of Dimitri’s willpower to not get up and push her away from Byleth.

It’s true that no one can fully understand what someone was feeling but that was not the point. Crying together, staying with them… it was to remind them that they weren’t alone, that they may have lost someone but that didn’t mean they had to-

Dimitri closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

He wasn’t surprised by her words, not truly.

Because Edelgard… 

“All I can do is promise to reach out my hand when the time comes for me to move forward.” 

… always looked into the future. 

She had always looked forward even when she had been young. Standing still in the present or dwelling in the past… That wasn’t like her. That had never been her. 

Her eyes were always looking into the future. 

And she expected others to do the same.

“What do you mean?” Byleth asked. 

“The mysterious organization that was carrying out experiments in Remire Village and the chapel…” Edelgard explained and Dimitri wondered how she knew about this, “They’re up to something near Garreg Mach.”

“The archbishop has sent the knights to undertake a large-scale investigation.” The young woman continued as both he and Byleth listened silently, “No information has surfaced yet, but our enemies will soon be discovered.”

“When they are, will you lead us into battle?” She asked and he could just imagine her staring at Byleth with those piercing lilac eyes of hers, “Or will you just sit here with no thought for the future that is fast approaching?”

His blood boiled at those words. They were unnecessarily cruel to say to someone who was grieving. 

He knew that Edelgard was not saying such things out of malice. That wasn’t like her. Edelgard had never been a malicious person. She was saying what she believed was right, what she believed people needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear, even if her words would bring nothing but pain to those who heard them. 

“My teacher…” He hated the way she called Byleth. Hated the way such words were coated with reverence and pride when the rest of her words were said with an almost disturbing disregard for Byleth’s feelings, “There is a choice to be made. I hope you make the right one.”

Having said her piece, he heard footsteps moving away from them. He waited until he heard the door close and the telltale sound of her locking the door before he got out underneath the table. He stood and turned to face her, seeing her still by the door, gripping the doorknob tightly with her eyes closed. 

He approached her slowly, watching her open her eyes and saw her eyes staring at the empty air to her left. She nodded before she let go of the doorknob, both of her hands curled into tight fists that he knew would leave an indentation on her palms as she stared at the ground. 

Once he was just an arm’s length away from her, she whispered without turning to face him, “She's right. I can’t… I cannot afford to stand still.” 

Never had he ever felt such hatred for the childhood friend he had lost than right now as he stared at the grieving woman in front of him.

He should have been ashamed at carrying such disgusting emotion for Edelgard but he wasn’t. His feelings for Byleth overshadowed whatever affection he held for the white-haired woman and, right now, he hated Edelgard for bringing such pain to her. 

“But…” She turned to face him, showing him such a sad smile that he felt his heartbreak. Her voice cracked as she asked, “Is it alright if I let my guard down when I'm with you? That I… I don't pretend to be alright?” 

“Of course, Byleth.” He whispered back, taking a step towards her. 

She fell into his arms, tears falling from her eyes once more as she chuckled brokenly before whispering, “You must think I’m weak and pathetic for being like this.” 

“Never.” He whispered back, unable to stop the coiling anger he felt for the future emperor for making her believe such lies using her sharp words, “You are not weak or pathetic, Byleth. Edelgard is wrong.” 

“Needing the time to grieve does not make you weak or pathetic. This is you being yourself, being who you truly are. No one has the right to call you such things. This is a part of you and this only shows how much you cared, how much Jeralt meant to you. Anyone who denies you for that, whoever they may be, don’t deserve you. They don’t deserve your tears nor your trust.” He tightened his hold on her as he whispered, “I promise you, Byleth. No matter what it may be, I will accept it all. I will accept you for who you truly are.” 

She closed her eyes and held him tighter as she whispered even as the tears continue to fall, "Thank you, Dimitri. I want you to know that I'm the same. I'll accept you no matter what, Dimitri." 

Dimitri closed his eyes at those words and said nothing. He simply held her as she cried once more. 

Yet, he couldn’t help but believe her words. 

If anyone could ever accept him for who he was… for who he truly was…

He wanted to believe it would be her.

He only heard about the Black Eagle House chasing after Jeralt’s killer an hour after they had already left. The archbishop had asked for an audience and she had told him that she wished for the Blue Lion House to accompany the knights the church could spare so they could support the Black Eagle House. She didn’t say why he had chosen the Blue Lion House but her eyes were trained on his face as she said, “You are the only one I can trust to keep her safe… no matter what the cost may be. We both know she is what matters the most.”

At those words, he knew…

Lady Rhea knew about them.

Her voice was serene as she said, “I am sure that the Goddess will bless you with her protection, my dear crown prince.”

And she twisted his arm to do her bidding by reminding him of his status. As the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, he was bound by the oath of his ancestors, by the oath of Loog, the King of Lions, to assist the church in any way he can.

To bow his head and accept any orders coming from the archbishop…

So that was what he did. He bowed his head and accepted the task he had been handed.

Let her use him if she wished. He had already been planning to chase after them from the very beginning. At least this way, he and those he will be taking with him will not be reprimanded. 

Outside the audience chamber, Catherine greeted him casually, “Hey. I’ll be the one leading the knights. Lady Rhea had instructed us to defer to you as our commander in this mission. Command us as you like.”

He wondered how she would react if he told her that the reason why her precious archbishop had given him control over her and her knights was so he could easily order them to their death if it meant the safety of the Black Eagle House’s professor. How would she react? 

Would she believe him? 

Or will that blind loyalty that should have been to House Blaiddyd only make it so that his words will fall to deaf ears? 

Dimitri gave her a polite smile as he commented, “I’m glad that you’d be joining us. I must say that having command over you does make me a bit nervous.”

The zealous knight laughed before replying, “Don’t be. It only shows how much Lady Rhea trusts your judgment and leadership. Even Hanneman was gushing about how much you’ve grown as a leader this past year.”

He smiled bashfully at her as he humbly said, “I still have much to learn.”

The leadership he had honed this past year was due to Byleth’s secret tutelage. Not that Professor Hanneman was a bad teacher, he was simply… less diverse in his way of teaching. Amidst their stories of past and the confessions of their worries and fears, she had also given him tips on how to be a better leader, how to better support his fellow Blue Lion students. It was less of a professor teaching a student but more like an adviser guiding their liege.

Or a qu- 

No. Now was not the time for him to think about such things.

“But I will do everything I can to ensure the success of our mission.” Dimitri continued with determination shining in his eyes. 

Catherine’s lips curved into an almost animalistic grin as she asked, “Well then, shall we go hunting, sire?”

At the sight of her sharp grin, Dimitri remembered that, even if she had turned her back on the kingdom that desired her head, she was still a Charon, still a child from Faerghus that hungered for the hunt and the thrill of combat. Vaguely, he remembered that it was already winter. He had forgotten about it due to Garreg Mach rarely getting snow even in mid-winter. Even if snow did fall, it would usually melt before the end of the day. 

But it was still winter and so… 

He nodded and walked past her, knowing she would follow him, “Yes, it’s time for a winter hunt.”

As he had expected, his closest allies were already ready to depart by the time he and Catherine had returned to the Blue Lion House’s classroom. Sylvain was a bit on guard at the appearance of one of the most loyal knights of the archbishop but he paid her no mind, stepping close to Dimitri to whisper to his ear, “All the preparations are done, Your Highness. Ingrid and Ashe had already gone on ahead to scout with their pegasus and wyvern. As you have instructed, they left their battalions to greater their chance of remaining undetected. All of our horses are prepared for departure as well with our battalions on the entrance of the forest outskirts of Garreg Mach.”

“Thank you, Sylvain.” He nodded at his childhood friend as he whispered back before turning to face the rest of his closest allies, “We’re leaving now.”

They nodded at him and stepped out of the room while he turned towards one of the Blue Lion students staying behind, the heir of one of the members of the Royal Court, “You’re in charge until we get back. Ensure everyone does their duties and responsibilities. Inform Professor Hanneman of our departure.”

“Yes, my liege.”

Without saying another word, Dimitri walked out of the room with Catherine following him silently. She didn’t even bat an eye when she saw that all the remaining students of the Blue Lion House bowed as their prince left.

As a former member of House Charon, she understood why they had bowed. It was simply the way they had been raised.

When they see the wolf king on the prowl, instincts simply kicked it.

“We will be leaving immediately.” Dimitri informed her, “Are you and your knights prepared?”

She pursed her lips as she replied, “No, we still need time.”

“We do not have the luxury of time.” He stated in a cold clinical tone before ordering, “Do what you must and follow after us. Go.”

“Yes, sire!” She bowed without even thinking about it and walked briskly towards where her knights were waiting for her. Dimitri didn’t bother to look at her or to stop to watch her, walking out of the monastery. 

When he got to the entrance of the forest, everyone was already ready to go. Mercedes sat behind Dedue on his grey steed while Annette sat behind Sylvain on his black steed. Felix was sitting behind one of the Gautier knights accompanying Sylvain, a gift from the margrave when the Blue Lion House went to Gautier territory to deal with the remnants of Miklan’s bandit gang. He had also sent the Lance of Ruin together with the knights but Sylvain refused to wield it, giving it to Dimitri, and told him to do what he wants with it. He kept it with him as it would be dangerous to leave such a relic unattended but he never wielded it. As far as he was concerned, he was simply safekeeping it until Sylvain decided he wanted to wield it. Felix held no reservation in equipping the Aegis Shield at all nor did Ingrid have any qualms when Dimitri had asked her to use Luin in combat. Felix had accepted the Aegis Shield when the Blue Lion House had supported House Fraldarius in evacuating a village that was under attacked while Count Galatea sent Luin to Ingrid after what had happened when she went to meet with a possible marriage candidate together with the Black Eagle House (which had joined because their housemate Dorothea had insisted).

Seteth had been uncomfortable letting such relics remain in the hands of the students while they were in the monastery but Lady Rhea had already approved of them so the green-haired man remained silent about such matters. Dimitri wondered if she had done it in preparation for an event such as this.

Had the archbishop foreseen the true danger of the unknown group and the Flame Emperor? 

Had she approved of students wielding relics to ensure the safety of the monastery?

Her own safety?

And the safety of Byleth herself?

There was no point in thinking about it now. To be completely honest, the only reason why he was even wondering about the archbishop’s true intention was because of Byleth’s wariness towards the archbishop and her confession of how Jeralt himself warned her to always be on alert around Lady Rhea.

He mounted his white steed and stated, “Our objective is to assist the Black Eagle House and to punish any who allied themselves with the wench who killed Captain Jeralt. There will be no mercy for any of them. Our priority is to rendezvous with the Black Eagles. Understand?”

“Yes, sire!”

When they had rendezvoused with the Black Eagle House, the fighting had already concluded and they had been on their way back to the monastery. They weren’t surprised by the Blue Lion House’s appearance but he supposed that sending in Ingrid and Ashe ahead had pretty much shown his plan to assist them. 

The members of the Black Eagle House were alive but many of them were tired and it was clear to anyone who even just glanced at them that many of the members of their battalions had perished during the battle. Linhardt was already asleep and being carried by Caspar on his back who looked like he was staying on his feet out of sheer willpower alone. Bernadetta was sitting behind Ferdinand and her right leg was bandaged in a way Dimitri knew meant she couldn’t walk at the moment and that meant that the wound was too grave to be healed by Faith magic or they no longer have any mage that could cast a healing spell. On the other hand, Ferdinand’s steed looked like an order of cantor would send the poor horse to faint and the rider himself wasn’t looking too good as well. Petra’s wyvern was out of commission, being carried by her wyvern battalion using ropes and a sheet of sturdy fabric, while the Brigid princess sat behind Ashe on his wyvern. Flayn was almost dead on her feet as well, sitting behind one of the cavalry units under Ferdinand’s battalion. Dorothea, Flayn and Hubert were all pale and slightly trembling, a clear sign of them nearing magical exhaustion, although he wasn’t entirely sure about Hubert as the man kept trying to suppress his trembling. Edelgard herself looked the same as she always was and Dimitri would have believed that she was doing alright had it not been for the fact that her clothes looked like they got into a fight with the ground and lost. 

But none of that mattered.

All that mattered was the sleeping woman in the future emperor’s arms.

His surprise over her new hair was only for a moment as he was more concerned about the fact that she was asleep and seemed just as beat up as her entire class.

He got off his mount and Dedue immediately took the reins of the steed. Just a few months ago, Dedue had been entirely unsure about having to learn how to ride a horse but Dimitri could see he had done the right thing asking his loyal friend to learn. Now, he can leave his loyal horse to Dedue with complete trust that the older man would know what to do. 

He quickly approached Edelgard and asked, “Is she alright?”

“We… cannot be certain.” She replied and the hesitation in her tone wasn’t lost to him, “She won’t wake up no matter how many times we try to heal her but her breathing is normal…”

The white-haired woman looked like she was about to say more but stopped. She stared at him for a moment before asking, “What are you doing here, Dimitri?”

“Lady Rhea has tasked the Blue Lion House to assist you and the professor in your mission.” He replied immediately, sending a silent thank you to the archbishop for providing an easy excuse.

Her eyes narrowed at his answer as she stated, “I see, so you are here on behalf of the church.”

“The Blue Lion would have been willing to assist you even without the archbishop’s approval. To stand idle in the face of such injustice is a disgrace that we cannot abide by.” He added, giving her the excuse he had prepared had they gone with their initial plan. He shook his head before saying, “But that is not important right now. What is important right now is the professor. Give her to me, Edelgard.”

She took a step back and turned her upper body away to the side, keeping her out of his reach as she asked, “What? Why would I do such a thing?” 

“All of your mounts are tired from all the fighting and she needs immediate medical attention. I will take her with me back to Garreg Mach with a few of my knights. The rest will stay to assist you all and protect you on your way back.” He reasoned.

“We are fine on our own.” Her voice was calm and even but he could see the crack in her mask, the terrible battle having tired her out too much to perfectly keep her own mask.

Unlike him who was able to keep his face void of the growing irritation he was currently feeling. Time was running out and they both don’t know how Byleth was actually faring. Now was not the time for such talk.

“We both know that’s not true. You’re all tired and some of you are wounded. Your mages alone are on the brink of magical exhaustion.” He reminded her before trying to appeal to her sense of reason, “This is the best course of action we can take in regards to her health.”

Seeing her reluctance, Dimitri asked coldly, “Edelgard… are you truly willing to risk her life for the sake of that pride of yours?”

Her eyes narrowed and she took a step towards him, her arms slightly outstretched to make it easier for him to take the sleeping woman into his arms. As he took her from Edelgard, he felt her grasp his forearm. Her voice was too soft for anyone else to hear but he heard her loud and clear, “This isn’t about my pride. I will willingly throw that away without any hesitation if I must. This is about trust.”

“And I suppose you do not trust me then?”

She stared at him for a moment before saying, “Please keep her safe.”

He felt a piece of his heartbreak that moment, knowing her refusal to answer his question was the same as her announcing that she didn’t trust him at all. 

Very well… 

“I will.” He replied, unable to hide the icy tone in his voice as he stared at her.

He would keep her safe. 

Even from Edelgard herself…

He turned away from her and ordered, “Mercedes, Annette, take care of the wounded. Dedue, your battalion and mine will ride back to Garreg Mach. Sylvain, you’re in charge. Keep our fellow students safe.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” 

They pushed their horses to gallop faster than normal but the horses managed to keep up with the demands of their riders. They met up with Catherine and her knights on the way back. Instead of accompanying them back to Garreg Mach, he ordered them to provide support to the main force they had left behind. If anyone was still in danger of being ambushed, it would be them as they were larger and had more tired members. The knights under Catherine looked at one another when he had ordered them to defer to Sylvain for orders once they got there but Catherine simply accepted the order and they rushed to meet up with the main force while Dimitri and his small company traveled as fast as they could back to Garreg Mach. When they reached the monastery, the archbishop and Seteth were waiting for them just outside the gates. Their eyes widened at the sight of Byleth’s new hair color and Lady Rhea rushed towards him, placing her hands on the sleeping woman’s cheeks. She caressed Byleth’s hair reverently, a soft smile appearing on her face.

“Lady Rhea.” Dimitri called out to her, making her raise her head to stare at him as she blinked, almost as if she had forgotten all about him, about all of them. Regardless of what may be going on the archbishop’s head, Dimitri pressed on, “She needs immediate medical attention. Her breathing is normal but she won’t wake up no matter what Edelgard does.”

The archbishop nodded before she said, “I understand. I shall personally attend to our dear professor.”

“Rhea-” Whatever Seteth was about to say was cut off by Lady Rhea raising her hand to stop him.

“Please accompany me to my private chambers, Dimitri.” She turned towards her second-in-command and said, “Seteth, please wait for the rest of our students and debrief them.”

Seteth looked like he wanted to argue but simply nodded as he replied, “Understood.”

“Come, Dimitri.” The archbishop ordered and walked back inside the monastery. Dimitri turned his head to stare at Dedue who nodded at him, understanding what his liege wanted to say. He nodded back at his silent friend before following the most powerful person in the church inside the monastery.

The archbishop’s private chambers were off-limits to everyone but the members of the church who worked directly for the archbishop. Other than Cyril, no one really knew who these members were, all of them wore veils or hoods that hide their faces. According to what Mercedes had been able to learn from Alois, one of them had been the archbishop’s handmaiden that was close to Byleth’s father during his tenure as a Knight of Seiros. She had sadly passed away a few months before the fire broke out in Garreg Mach years ago. He could easily surmise that the handmaiden was Byleth’s mother based on her confession that she had been born in Garreg Mach according to her father, not after he left the monastery. 

All of the secrecy and lies about her birth and her real age were because of the woman right in front of him, casting some kind of Faith magic on the woman sleeping on the archbishop’s bed. 

The room strongly smelled of lilies but the longer Dimitri stayed, the more the faint scent of rotten eggs invaded his nose. He didn’t know where that foul smell could be coming from but it was a distracting smell nonetheless. The undeniable smell of lilies was obviously trying to mask the telltale smell of rotten egg. 

“She will be alright.” The archbishop told him as she combed Byleth’s hair with her fingers. She stared at the sleeping woman with such a loving expression that unnerved him as she gently said, “She’s just resting. She will wake up once… once she has recovered her strength.”

“Lady Rhea…” Dimitri called out yet the woman did not bother to turn towards him. His eyes narrowed slightly but he tried once more, making sure to keep his tone even, “Lady Rhea, her hair-”

“It is truly wonderful that she has you by her side.” Her tone was light and soft but her words caused him to freeze. She finally stood and walked towards the bedside table where a vase of freshly bloomed white lilies had been placed. She picked three individual lilies as she continued in the same tone, “She has lost so much, grieved so deeply… suffered through such pain…”

She sat on the bed and snapped the long stem of two of the lilies before placing each on either side of Byleth’s head, just above her ears. 

From where Dimitri was standing, the white lilies on her head and the white bed sheet that covered her up to her neck made her look like some kind of symbol for the Church of Seiros. 

He was reminded by the painting of the goddess back in Castle Blaiddyd, dressed in all white with white lilies on her head and a darker shade of green hair than both Byleth and Rhea yet lighter than Seteth.

“But now, it is… finally… over…” The archbishop’s words forced his thoughts to a halt.

What was finally over?

She stood and walked towards Dimitri. He could only stand quietly as the archbishop pinned the remaining white lily on him using the brooch of his cape. The white color of the lily contrasted against the vibrant blue hue of his cape.

It felt like a mark. 

… like a brand… 

Her hand was hotter than what he knew as a normal temperature but he refused to flinch as he felt her touch his cheek. Her smile was soft as she asked, “You’d protect her, won’t you?”

“Yes.” He replied as that awful smell grew stronger.

Her smile grew and he wondered if it was a trick of light that he caught a glimpse of fangs, “No matter the cost?”

He knew that she was expecting only one answer. 

“Yes.”

The archbishop dismissed him soon after and he was escorted by one of the mysterious hooded members of the church. When he returned to the classroom, everyone had returned as well. Sylvain had reported to him what had happened after they had left. The main force was able to return to the monastery without problem but he had noticed that there was a clear tension between Edelgard and the rest of the Black Eagle House. Ingrid had noted that the tension only happened after the battle, when the professor had fallen into her deep slumber. The division wasn’t entirely clear from what they could see but they were certain that Edelgard and Ferdinand were at odds.

The most interesting part was Ferdinand’s stance always seem to boil down to “the professor would not agree with this” or some variation of the same phrase.

It collaborated with Byleth’s confession that she felt that Edelgard and her were at odds over a lot of things. 

He wasn’t sure how he could use this information so he simply thanked Sylvain and put it aside for now. He had no say nor did he have any right to intervene with whatever internal conflict was happening in the Black Eagle House. The only reason he would even participate was if Byleth needed or wanted him to. That was her house, hers, not his. 

And he respected that.

What took Dimitri’s attention was Ashe and Ingrid’s report of what had happened when they managed to rendezvous with the Black Eagle House. Because of their mounts’ high mobility, they managed to catch up with the Black Eagle House just a few minutes after the fight had started and Byleth had welcomed them immediately, ordering them as she would the rest of her class. 

The battle had been going well until the wench who had killed Jeralt had run away. Byleth had chased after her, leaving them to fend for themselves. Ingrid and Ashe had wanted to chase after her but they couldn’t as the lack of leadership resulted in the tide of battle going not so well. They weren’t losing but it was clear that without their professor’s orders, there was no actual leader to guide them.

That surprised Dimitri as it should have been clear that the next in line would have been Edelgard.

However, Edelgard had wanted to keep a defensive formation which Ferdinand had refused to adhere, going on the offensive in an effort to provide support to their professor as soon as possible. The rest of the Black Eagle House was torn between two conflicting orders and that was what led to the avoidable casualties they had during their advancement towards the professor’s position. When they had finally gotten to the ruins, they could only watch in horror as Byleth was spirited away by some kind of black mist. 

That’s when the enemy reinforcement came.

He wasn’t sure what he should be more surprised about. The sudden pillars of purple light that brought forth the enemy reinforcements which included monsters that the Black Eagle House were calling crest beasts? Her miraculous return by cutting a path open from some kind of empty void or whatever villainous rambling the cur named Solon was sprouting? Her change of hair and eye color? 

There were too many questions left unanswered. 

And it was giving Dimitri a headache.

Byleth was isolated from the rest of the monastery for the next couple of days, sleeping her days away in the archbishop’s personal quarters. Not even Edelgard, the next emperor of the Adrestian Empire and the leader of the house she was teaching, was allowed to see her. 

No one knew how she was truly doing and any questions would simply be answered with “she is simply resting, everything is alright” by the archbishop. 

Many accepted the answer, blinded by their faith to the Goddess and their trust to the archbishop.

Dimitri was not and he knew that the Black Eagle House wasn’t as well. Edelgard remained her usual calm self and, on the outside, the Black Eagle House did look like they had accepted the archbishop’s words. 

But his fellow Blue Lion students had already given him reports of cracks in the Black Eagle House’s unified stance.

Petra had asked Claude if he knew anything during one of their breaks, out in the middle of the day with many people overhearing them. Dorothea had asked if Ingrid heard anything from her liege when they were having a meal together. Caspar had asked Felix the same during their unarmed spar. And Ferdinand was bold enough to ask Dimitri himself if he knew anything concrete.

He knew why the Black Eagle (with the exception of Petra) thought that the Blue Lion House’s leader would have more information. Not only did the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus have a close relationship with the Church of Seiros but Lady Rhea had begun asking for his audience often. Most of the time, she would ask simple things such as routing bandits near Garreg Mach or to ask that his house escort members of the church in visiting the nearby towns. 

He was actually starting to feel like an errand boy but he kept his silence and did what was asked of him. 

He had no other choice. 

Whatever game the archbishop was playing, all he could do was let himself be dragged around like a puppet on a string.

On the other hand, the Black Eagle House…

In all honesty, Dimitri didn’t want to get involved in whatever internal dispute was happening in the Black Eagle House but he felt a bit of responsibility towards Byleth’s chosen house so, here he was, pretending not to be involved or interested while using his own housemates to spy on the Black Eagle House. Claude even joked about exchanging notes with him about their ‘bird watching hobby’ and Dimitri was half-tempted to accept the offer. 

He didn’t accept it in the end because Claude was simply too much of a wildcard. He didn’t have the time nor the patience to play a political game with the Riegan heir right now. 

Especially since he had asked a few of the well-known devoted members of the Blue Lion House who were loyal to him and the royal family of House Blaiddyd to find out anything they can about the church and about the archbishop. Members of the church were more open in talking to the students they knew to be faithful to the church’s teachings and the goddess.

It was so much riskier than just spying on a fellow house. The Church of Seiros, while usually benevolent and merciful, was also known to be quick in dealing out punishment. 

If they were not careful, the archbishop herself could bar him from ascending the throne and replace his uncle with a distant relative, perhaps one of the members of the royal court that were said to be descended from one of the hero Blaiddyd’s daughters.

But it was a risk he needed to take, not only to ensure that Byleth was truly safe but to find out what the church had plans for her. 

What the archbishop had plans for her… 

He had spent too much time in the library one windy night and needed to reach his room without anyone noticing as it was already way past the students’ curfew. Dedue usually reminded him of such thing but he had asked his loyal companion to accompany Ashe to the nearby village that afternoon as he leaves the monastery in secret. The younger boy was good at slipping in and out of the monastery but he wanted to make sure that the silver-haired heir of House Gaspard through adoption would be safe. Dedue was too eye-catching so he would be keeping an eye from afar and provide support if necessary. Ashe was just meant to get the information from one of the kingdom spies near Garreg Mach and a detailed report from one of the members of the Royal Court that was loyal to House Blaiddyd about the movements of the rest of the Royal Court and other kingdom noble houses. 

That was actually the reason why he had been in the library for so long. He was looking for information that could lead to the real culprits of the Tragedy of Duscur and any questionable movements that the church has recorded which may become a detriment to both Faerghus and his future rule as king.

His eyes were tired from trying to read such small print with only the warm glow of the small candle he took with him as his source of light. He dared not activate any of the light crystals in the library as that would announce his presence and may lead to people questioning why he was in the library so late at night. His hand was cramping due to the amount of notes he had taken, quickly coded scribbles detailing what he considered to be possible leads and potential evidence. He felt like he was getting close to the answer that he was chasing after, to the truth that had eluded him for so long.

So it wasn’t surprising that it took him an entire minute to actually realize that someone was in his room with him. 

It was the sound that alerted him of the intruder, the soft breathing coming from his bed. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheath it if it was necessary. His eyes widened when he realized that someone was sleeping on his bed, on top of the covers.

He approached the sleeping figure cautiously, the small light of the candle the only source of light he had. 

Once he reached the foot of the bed, he whispered, “Byleth?”

It was really her, sleeping on his bed. She was laying on her side and she wasn’t wearing any of her armor or the coat she used as some kind of makeshift cloak, leaving her in her short-sleeved black fitted shirt that showed off her navel area, her black shorts and her lacy black stockings. Her skin was littered with old scars, scars he knew she got when she had been starting out. She was too quick to be harmed by her opponents and, even if they do manage to hit her, it would only be a shallow cut. A quick glance on his darkened room was all he needed to notice that her armor and coat were placed neatly on the chair. Her white buttoned collar with the intricate golden brooch with the light pink tassel was on his desk. Curiosity getting the better of him, he picked the brooch up and turned it around. The top of the brooch was sewed on the end of the white-collar as he had expected and there was a pin on the bottom that he guessed she would use to pin the brooch on her shirt. That would account for the fact that the brooch rarely moved. He would admit that he had been curious for a while now about how the brooch stayed still even when she’s moving and his eyes would stare at it often, wondering if the intricate design had any meaning to her. She had teased him of staring at her chest instead and she raised an eyebrow at his insistence that it was her brooch that had captivated him only told him she didn’t really believe him. 

… she wasn’t exactly wrong about her teasing.

With a small sigh, he shook his head and placed the brooch back on his desk. He placed the small candle on his desk and removed his gauntlets, placing it on his desk. He turned his head to watch the sleeping woman on his bed for a moment before removing the pin of his cape, holding the cape so it wouldn’t fall to the floor once the pin was removed. He folded the vibrant blue cape and placed it on top of her armor but dropped the pin next to the brooch on the desk instead. He took off his greaves and sabatons, placing them next to her boots neatly before unbuckling the belt of his sword. He placed both the belt and his sheathed sword on the desk. He removed his armored uniform as well and placed it on the floor next to the chair, leaving him wearing only his tight long-sleeved black turtleneck shirt and riding trousers. 

Dimitri sat on his bed, making sure not to shift the bed too much in an effort to not disturb her sleep. He was wondering why she was here in his room of all places but he strangely wasn’t in a hurry to seek an answer for that question of his. He tucked her hair behind her ear, relishing the warmth that his fingers could finally feel. He slowly caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, dragging his hand downwards. His hand stopped on her jaw, staring at his hand. He turned his hand before tilting her head slightly towards him. He leaned forward and loomed over her. Just when their lips were mere inches apart, he stopped. 

While she had never rejected any of his actions, he knew that didn’t give him permission to act upon his desires while she was asleep. 

But a part of him wanted to take her, make squirm and gasp in her sleep…

Wasn’t the fact that she was here in her room, sleeping on his bed, enough for him to do as he pleased?

Surely she would have realized that such a sight was simply too tempting for one such as him?

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was trying to calm himself down but her close proximity only made him notice her scent.

She smelled like how he remembered whenever he would breathe while they were close, a strange mix of iron and lavender interlacing with her natural scent. 

But right now, he could also smell the scent of lilies and rotten eggs.

It shouldn’t surprise him. She had been staying in the archbishop’s private quarters the entire time so, of course, the scent of lilies and rotten eggs, would cling to her now. However, he couldn’t help the irritation he felt at the smell. He wanted to remove that smell, replace it with his.

Once more, he reigned his wicked desires in. It was harder than usual because of where they were but he still managed.

That was when he felt her place her hands on both sides of his neck. He opened his eyes and his breath hitched at the sight of her light green eyes. 

He had time to accept the idea that her hair had turned into a shade of mint but he didn’t even know that her eyes had changed as well. 

“I look strange, don’t I?” She whispered and he could only wonder in amazement on how her guesses over what he was thinking were always a bit near the truth simply by staring at him.

He shook his head as he replied, “Not strange, just… different.”

He cupped her cheeks as he whispered, “It would take some time getting used to but…”

He stared at her as he confessed, “You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

She chuckled softly at him before tilting her head as she asked, “If I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen then why haven’t you had your wicked way with me yet?”

“You were asleep.” He reasoned before his lips curved into a small frown as he corrected, “Or I had assumed you had been sleeping.”

“Such a gentleman.” Her voice was teasing but he heard the underlying fondness in her tone. She pulled him closer and whispered, “Then I give you my blanket permission to do as you like to me anytime, my dear prin-”

Her last word turned into a muffled moan as he captured her lips. He barely felt her turn so that she was lying on her back, too focused on demanding her full attention on his greedy mouth. He pulled away, biting her bottom lip lightly before focusing his attention on the side of her neck. She gasped as he bit her neck. He didn’t draw blood but he had bitten her hard enough that the indent of his teeth would remain on her skin for a while. The thought of such a mark, his mark, on her, hidden only by her white-collar, made him groan as he kissed it softly. 

Her hands pressed against his chest and pushed him gently, making him freeze. Thinking that he had gone too far, Dimitri pulled away, about to apologize for his actions but stopped when he heard her order breathlessly, “Clothes. Off.” 

Even with only the small light coming from the candle as his source, the sight of her reddened cheeks and dilated pupils destroyed what restraint he had. He kissed her once more, enjoying the moan that escaped her before pulling slightly to stare at her as he started, “I want… I…”

Goddess, have mercy on him, he couldn’t even find the words to tell her what he wanted.

He gulped before trying once more, “May I taste you?”

She blinked at his question before saying, “But you told me you can’t tast-”

Her eyes widened as she realized, “Oh.”

He could feel his cheeks begin to warm while she cleared her throat before replying as she nodded, “Okay.”

“Thank you.” He whispered and kissed her lips briefly before lowering his head to kiss the side of her jaw. 

She sighed and closed her eyes as she felt him leave soft kisses on her midriff while she mused, “With the way you kept staring at my chest, I had actually thought you’d be more eager to play with them.”

She felt him sigh before mumbling, “I was staring at your brooch.”

She hummed, having heard the same excuse many times before. Her hum became a sigh as she felt him kiss the skin just above her shorts. She lifted her lower back off the bed to help him as he removed her shorts. She opened her eyes in time to see him throw her shorts over his shoulder and was about to reprimand him but only managed to gasp as she saw him kiss the inside of her right thigh. His hands were gentle and careful as he removed her stockings next, a look of deep concentration etched on his face. She let him move her legs the way he wanted, keeping her entire body relaxed, as she said, “You can rip them off if you want. I have a spare.”

His hands froze, turning to look at her then at her stockings where he had already removed it completely from her left leg and was by the ankle of her right leg. Seeing him frown, she suggested, “You can put it back on if you want.”

She bit the inside of her mouth to stop the smile threatening to grace her face as he looked so serious while he contemplated his options. She placed her left leg on his shoulder as she suggested, “Or you can rip them next time?”

He blinked at her for a moment and gulped. He removed her stockings completely as he repeated, “Next time.”

She gasped when he bit the inside of her left thigh as he removed her black lacy panties, leaving her completely bare from the waist down. He lowered his head and placed her legs on his shoulders but stopped when she said, “Wait.”

He watched her take one of the pillows and placed it under her hips. She silently nodded at him and he took it as his cue to continue. He couldn’t help but take pride over the fact that she was already wet as he licked her. He couldn’t taste anything but that didn’t deter him as he sucked her clit, earning a moan. Wanting to hear more, he continued to abuse her clit with his mouth, licking and sucking with no pattern or rhythm that kept her on her toes and made her incapable to stop the sweet sounds escaping her lips. Curiously, he slowly slipped his index finger inside her, making her gasp. He pushed his finger deeper inside her, enjoying the wetness and the sweet moans escaping her lips. Before long, one finger became two fingers then three fingers, making him marvel at how she could take all three of his fingers. He felt her press her thighs against his head as she whimpered, “I-I’m close. Dimitri-”

She gasped and gripped the bedsheet tightly as he doubled his effort, sucking and licking her clit while he kept his fingers inside her, exploring her in a circular motion. 

“Ah, Dimitri!” She moaned loudly as she tugged his hair while arching her back. He felt her tighten around his fingers as she gasped, feeling the weight of her legs fall on his shoulders. He kissed her clit softly, making her let out a soft whimper, before he sat up as he pulled his fingers out of her. Her legs fell on either side of him, trembling slightly. But what caught his attention was her face. She was breathing heavily with her mouth open, her entire face and her neck flushed while her eyes had an almost glazed glow. He crawled towards her and kissed her navel area. He traced all the small scars on her stomach with his tongue, slowly making his way up. He gently lifted her shirt, pushing the fabric up until it was above her exposed chest. She lifted her upper body and took off her shirt while he placed his hands on her breasts. She threw her shirt over his shoulder before lying back, sighing as he massaged her breasts. She turned her head to the side as she mumbled, “Staring at my brooch, huh?”

Instead of replying, she felt his teeth lightly bite her left nipple, earning a surprised gasp from the mint-haired woman. His hands stopped and he raised his head to look at her as he whispered, “Sorry, did that hurt?”

She chuckled softly before replying, “No. I was just surprised.”

She gently caressed his hair as she said, “You can keep playing with them if you want. Although…”

Her legs were still trembling slightly but she moved her left leg so she could press her foot against his groan. He closed his eyes and groaned as his face dropped between her breasts. Her lips curved into a small smirk as she suggested, “Maybe we should do something about this?”

She traced the bulge inside his pants with her foot, blinking when she noticed, “Oh.”

“Hng?” He mumbled, raising his head and his eyes widened when he noticed that the redness of her face had deepened. 

She licked her bottom lip as her foot traced his clothed cock from the tip to the base. Her eyes were dark as she whispered, “You’re… bigger than the ones I’ve had before.”

He pinched her nipples, making her gasp and arch her back. He moved so that he was face to face with her and grabbed the ankle of left leg to move it to the side, grinding his clothed erection between her legs as he whispered back, “Please don’t think of anyone but me, Byleth.”

She let out a breathless chuckle at the possessive tone in his voice before whispering back, “Then may I suggest you move this along?”

She placed her hands on his shoulders as she teased, “Maybe I’ll forget about all those other people once you’re inside me?”

He growled, knowing she was baiting him but he didn’t care if he was playing right into her hands. He greedily captured her lips with his while his hands quickly pulled his pants off, groaning when he realized how wet his pants had been because of his precum. He felt her wrap her legs around his waist and gripped his cock with his right hand while his left hand grab her thigh. She watched him silently as he slowly lined the tip of his weeping cock to her entrance. Before he could move, her lips curved into a teasing smile. 

“Oh. And Dimitri?” He raised his head to stare at her as she gave him a coy smile while saying, “Feel free to mark me… inside as well. I got an aftertea from Manuela so it’s okay.”

Being close friends with a certain redhead, Dimitri knew what she was talking about. He wasn’t sure where his blood was traveling now, to his red face or his traitorous dick that decided her words merited more precum. 

But the thought of her carrying his child…

Carrying the future of Faerghus…

Her eyes widened in surprise as she gasped, her hands gripping the sheets tightly as she felt him enter her hard and fast. The sudden jolt of pleasure was intermixed with the undeniable feeling of pain at the sudden intrusion of such a huge cock that brought tears in her eyes. She knew he hadn’t fully entered her yet but she felt so full already. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as he whispered, “Sorry. I’m so sorry. I lost control. I-”

She rubbed his back as she whispered, “It’s okay. I was trying to make you lose control.”

“But still… I hurt you…” He whispered and tightened his hold on her. 

She hummed before replying, “It’s okay. Just give me a minute to adjust to your… size…”

She could feel him slowly softening inside her which she didn’t want to happen so she whispered, “Tell me, Dimitri. What made you lose control?”

She felt him freeze above her but she knew he was thinking about it as she felt him harden inside her. She lightly massaged his shoulders as she pressed, “Go on, Dimitri. Tell me.”

He tightened his hold on her further before he cleared throat. His voice was hoarse and low as he admitted, “I was thinking about how I want you to carry my child.”

His hands trembled as he continued, “The thought of filling you to the brink, to make sure that you would bear my child…”

He stopped when he noticed that she had frozen and shook his head. He placed both of his hands on either side of her before he pulled himself up so he could apologize while looking at her face. 

“Forgive me, Byleth. I do not mean to make you uncom-” He stopped when he saw the lust in her eyes and her slightly open mouth, tempting him to kiss her once more. He gulped once more before he warned her, “If you keep looking at me like that, I might lose control again.”

She let out a breathless laugh before asking, “The point is to make you lose control, Dimitri.”

She pulled him towards her and tightened the hold of her legs around his waist. He groaned as he felt her tightened around him as well while she whispered, “Go on, Dimitri.”

She pulled herself up so that she could whisper right by his ear, “Please let me bear your child.”

At those words, he groaned as he gripped the sheet tightly while he begged, “Please tell me I can move. I can’t- I-”

She lied back and nodded, placing her hands on his shoulders as she replied, “Move, Dimi- Ahhh!”

Her nails dug against his skin as he began to thrust deeper inside her. She couldn’t help the moans that escaped her lips as he began to move in earnest, pulling away before thrusting back inside her with such ferocity the bed creaked with his every movement. They were both breathing heavily, his grunts mixing with her moans together with the sound of their skins meeting one another seemingly all around them. His pace was fast and hard, so different from how he usually acted.

It excited her. 

She couldn’t help herself as she scratched his back, moaning in total abandonment as she felt him rub her clit while his other hand groped her left breast. He was panting as he asked, “Is this better?”

Amidst the sea of pleasure, the fondness she felt for him surged as she nodded, “Yeah. Oh, Dimitri!”

She dug her nails deeply into him as she whispered, “I’m close.”

Those words only made him fuck her faster as he rubbed her clit vigorously. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but he knew the moment she came. He gasped as he felt her tightened around him, her legs pressing him closer to her. She let out a soft mewl as she clenched her eyes tight, her fingers digging him into his back that he wouldn’t be surprised if they were drawing blood.

She was tight and hot and-

He groaned, falling onto her as he came inside her, unable to stop himself from trembling. He tried to pull himself up, fearing his height may be crushing her but his body refused to move. All he could do was turn his head to the side and try to catch his breath. He didn’t even have any strength left to pull out.

Although, if he was being completely honest, he didn’t want to. 

Her hands gently rubbed his back and he could hear her breathing heavily as well, could feel her chest rise and fall underneath him. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, simply trying to get their bearings back. Once he felt like his body was finally listening to his command, he pulled away from her, groaning as his cock slip out of her. He lied back down next to her, sighing as he turned to his side to face her. She turned as well, her lips curving to a small smile as she whispered, “We should clean up.”

He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling her soft fingers trace his forearm. He knew she was right but the idea of moving right now just… didn’t appeal to him. 

He was already dozing off when he heard her say softly, “You’ll be graduating next month.”

“Yes.” He answered as he opened his eyes slowly.

“You’ll go back to Faerghus and take your rightful place as king.” She said, her eyes trained on him, “You’ll change your kingdom for the better… making your dream come true.”

He almost forgot that he had told her about his dream. 

He told her a lot of things he never told anyone else.

“What about you, Byleth?” He asked, letting out a soft sigh when her hand reached to touch his cheek before he continued, “Will you continue to stay here in Garreg Mach? Continue to be a professor?”

She was silent for a few moments yet she continued to caress his cheek softly. She stopped when she finally answered, “I think Rhea has plans for me. The mission to the Holy Tomb… she wants me to receive something from the Goddess. A revelation or orders or whatever…”

“Do you want to?” He asked, staring at her seriously.

She hummed, gently dragging her fingers from his cheek to his neck, traveling downwards slowly, “I want to know what she wishes to accomplish. What this revelation is supposed to be…”

“But after that… once everything is done…” She scooted closer and wrapped her hand around his. He turned his hand so they could intertwine their fingers, listening to her as she asked, “Do you think I can have a place in Faerghus?”

A bright smile appeared on his face as he scooted closer to her, pressing their bodies together while their intertwined hands stayed in the middle, pressed between her ample breasts and his sturdy chest. He rested his forehead against hers as he whispered, “Yes. There is a place for you in Faerghus. There is only one spot that you alone could fulfill.”

Her lips curved into a smile as she asked, “Oh? Is it in the capital city?”

“Yes.” He replied, watching as she leaned a bit towards him that the tip of their noses lightly touched. 

“Is it in the royal castle of House Blaiddyd?” She asked in a whisper.

“Yes.” His next word made her lean further towards him, their lips just inches away from one another.

“Is it by your side?” She whispered, “My dear king?”

Instead of answering her, he closed the distance between their lips and kissed her softly, a gentle kiss that he hoped would show his desire for a future with her by his side. She sighed and pressed her free hand on his cheek while his other hand rested on her waist. They pulled apart slightly, resting their foreheads against one another. She caressed his cheek and his heart soared at the genuine soft smile on her face. She closed her eyes and whispered, “Can I stay the night?”

He closed his as he whispered back, “Stay for as long as you wish.”

She chuckled softly before commenting, “Then I’ll never leave.”

His lips curved into a soft smile as he whispered back, “That… would be wonderful.” 

The following day, Sylvain and Felix were outside his room when he went outside. She had already left a few hours ago, kissing him goodbye while he was still half-asleep and mumbling nonsense that made her smile. 

“Good morning, Your Highness.” Sylvain greeted while Felix glared at him. 

“Good morning, you two.” He greeted back, wondering why the two would be waiting for him. He simply hoped they didn’t need his help over something either Sylvain had done or Felix had said to the wrong person… again. He was truly blessed that he still had one childhood friend he didn’t need to look after too much (although he was still worried about Ingrid, most especially how she was handling her grief). Before he could confirm his suspicion, the Gautier heir casually placed his arm around his shoulder and began to walk towards the stairs, forcing him to walk with him. Felix silently walked behind them and Dimitri didn’t have to turn back to know the younger noble was glaring murderously at him.

“It has come to my attention that you may have forgotten a very vital piece of information, Your Highness…” Sylvain started, a huge grin on his face as he casually informed his liege, “The walls in our rooms are thick but you can still hear muffled noises coming from the room next to you.” 

Dimitri stopped, his face turning pale which only made the older man’s grin grow even bigger as he said with an amused tone, “Don’t worry, Dimitri. Your secret is safe with us.”

Us.

Dear goddess…

He turned back to stare at the Fraldarius heir with wide eyes.

Felix was glaring at him so viciously while his cheeks were red as he hissed, “I hate you.”

Sylvain only laughed at that while Dimitri wished a hole would just appear and drag him away from both of his childhood friends. 

The rest of the month blurred into a happy daze for Dimitri. During the day, they continued their little game but the soft touches turned into brief kisses. They shared each night in each other’s arms, sometimes losing themselves in the feeling of being together. Other times, the simple act of enjoying the warmth of sleeping next to one another was enough. Sylvain and Felix kept to their word, never speaking about whatever noise they may have heard. Dimitri, however, has lost his right to scold Sylvain when his own room made noises though. That was fine because he and Byleth started to laugh at the sounds instead, reminded by what had happened back in the Goddess Tower. Felix, on the other hand, started to leave his room in the middle of the night and only return early in the morning. He never told any of them where he goes and Dimitri never asked. 

It had been the happiest he had ever been in the past five years. 

Not even the sudden request of Edelgard for Byleth to accompany her to Enbarr a week before the Black Eagle House’s mission could dampen his mood. She might have been gone for an entire week but that was alright.

Once he graduated and she finished whatever the archbishop wanted her to do, they could finally start their life together in Fhirdiad.

When the archbishop declared both Byleth and the entire Black Eagle House, the entire Adrestian Empire, as traitors and heretics while the Adrestian Empire had declared war against the church, Dimitri had been ready to declare war on the church itself as well. 

He trusted her judgment…

He trusted her…

He had just arrived in his room to write a letter to Rodrigue and his uncle when he found a bouquet of yellow lilies on his desk. Underneath the lilies were pages upon pages detailing every heinous acts the empire had done against Faerghus with a list of pieces of evidence that collaborated the validities of each claim. 

On the last page, someone had written that all of these, all of the sorrow and suffering, all of the death and the pain Faerghus had received from Adrestia was for the sake of Edelgard, for this every moment where she would be crowned emperor and declare war against the church.

Adrestia was to blame…

Edelgard was to blame…

Fueled by pain and anger, he marched into the audience chamber without care of the consequences. 

He saw Catherine place her hand on the hilt of Thunderbrand but paid her no mind, staring at the stone-cold face of the archbishop. He threw the papers on the floor without thinking of his action, wanting simply to do something about the anger and frustration threatening to suffocate him. 

“She corrupted her.” He said, earning no reaction from the archbishop.

“Edelgard corrupted her.” He hissed, staring at Lady Rhea with such hatred and rage even Seteth couldn’t help but become wary of the crown prince in front of them.

“They’ve been planning this… the entire time…” He continued, “They’re using her.”

Hate and pain coated each of his words as he hissed, "Edelgard is using her." 

The green-haired woman stared at him silently for an entire minute before finally replying in an almost fevered tone, “Then we must save her.”

He nodded at those words.

“And…” Her eyes narrowed as she hissed, “That insolent child emperor must die.” 

Dimitri nodded once more as he declared, “I will kill Edelgard myself.” 

He didn't get the chance in the defense of Garreg Mach. Five crest beasts infiltrated the west side of the monastery and Dimitri had to join in eliminating the vicious beasts together with the Blue Lion House. By the time they had finished taking care of the beasts, they have received news that the central part of the monastery had been destroyed and the empire was already inside. 

Seteth flew above them and ordered them to retreat to Faerghus, holding in his arms an unconscious archbishop. Dimitri knew he should accept the command. It was the most logical action to take but that would mean leaving her… Leaving Byleth in the hands of Adrestian Empire… In the hands of Edelgard… 

It took both Sylvain and Seteth to force him to retreat. Only Sylvain's words that it was suicide to keep fighting a large army with only their housemates and the remnants of the once great Knights of Seiros managed to get through to him. 

"The Professor is strong. We'll get our chance to save her once you order the kingdom’s knight orders to take up arms." Sylvain reasoned, "Please, Dimitri. You can't die here! Faerghus needs you!" 

At those words, Dimitri ordered their immediate retreat as he tried to rein in his rage and frustration. 

Catherine and Gilbert stayed to cover their retreat while Ingrid and Ashe flew ahead to scout their route for any imperial ambushes. Dimitri only caught a glimpse of Claude as the Riegan heir ordered the retreat of the Golden Deer House and anyone affiliated with the Leicester Alliance. Their eyes met and Claude's lips moved but no sounds came out yet Dimitri could read his lips. 

"Don't die, Dimitri." 

He grimly nodded at the dark-haired man before mouthing, "You too." 

Claude had the audacity to wink at him and Dimitri couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips, unable to even hide the hint of madness in his chuckle at the sheer ridiculousness of their current situation. They stared at one another for a few more seconds, a tired mirthless smile on their faces, before Hilda called out for Claude at the same time Seteth called out for Dimitri. They turned away and never looked back. 

That was the last day he saw Claude von Riegan. 

His coronation was celebrated in the midst of a thunderstorm. As he watched the rain fall from one of the many hallways in Castle Blaiddyd, he wondered if the goddess was wailing up in the heavens over what has happened. 

Not even a week has passed since his return in Fhirdiad and the archbishop had crowned him king. There was no celebration or fanfare, simply a solemn event witnessed by the Royal Court and his closest allies. 

He knew what some of them were whispering behind his back.

‘The Boy King’

‘The Puppet King’

For now, this was the calm before the storm. The empire had taken over Garreg Mach and was fortifying its defenses while both the kingdom and the alliance were doing the same. The emperor had sent her manifesto.

Manifesto.

What a joke.

It was nothing more than a list of excuses as to why the empire was planning to attack both the kingdom and the alliance. A long-winded order of surrender parading as some form of peace offering.

Just the reminder that some of the members of the Royal Court were thinking about it made him want to throw the entire table at them. 

Everyone seemed to have noticed his maudlin mood and only Dedue remained with him, standing a few feet away to give him some semblance of privacy. His own Lionguards, House Blaiddyd’s elite knights sworn to obey any order their liege gives, stayed further away but still close enough that they would be able to provide support or defend him if necessary.

He didn’t even turn around when the archbishop herself approached him. Even when her shoulder was just an inch away from his, he didn’t turn his head to acknowledge her. 

“You believed that you loved her.” The archbishop’s words hit him like poisoned daggers. The crown on his head was heavy but he had expected as much. The ceremonial crown of the holy kingdom was mainly used for special occasions. The crown that he would be using daily would be a simple iron crown twisted at the center of his forehead to mimic the shape of the crest of Blaiddyd. None of the many blue and white gems adorning the gold crown currently upon his head would be present in the iron crown.

He remembered seeing his father bleed once while he was putting on the iron crown, the sharp points of the crest of Blaiddyd piercing his skin. Still, his father simply chuckled and ruffled his hair when his son had worried about the blood. 

Yet, at the archbishop’s words, the crown felt so much heavier, almost as if every previous kings and queens before him was pressing against his forehead, hissing at his weakness. He saw her approach him and he could see the madness in her eyes. It was so plain to someone like him and he wondered why no one had voiced out their concern over the archbishop’s current mental status.

He had an excuse. He had been hiding his madness in his princely mask for years.

Her madness was plain to anyone who knew what to look for.

At least one of the members of the church would have seen it for what it truly was.

That only meant that the remaining forces of the church were blindly following her, loyal to her to their death. He wasn’t any better. While Faerghus was not as united as the church, the number of people willing to lay down their life for him was still higher than all the remnants of the once great Knights of Seiros put together. 

He felt her hand press against his cheek and it took all of his willpower to not slap her hand away. He did, however, glared at her from the corner of his eye.

Even though he had given the church sanctuary as was expected of him as the king of the holy kingdom, he wasn’t going to bend his knee.

This was his kingdom, his people… no one else but his.

Her lips curved into a sad smile that was a total contradiction to the madness in her eyes as she whispered, “My poor child, you must be hurting so much.”

He remained silent, letting her press herself against him and rub his back soothingly like he was some kind of child. She smelled strongly of lilies and rotten eggs, her voice soft and gentle but filled with fiery rage, “Edelgard took her away from us.”

His fists clenched at those words, his eyes narrowing as he kept his eyes at the storm outside. 

“She must pay.” She hissed, tightening her hold on him, “We will make her pay. For corrupting her, for taking her away from us…”

She raised her head and whispered softly in his ear, “That woman must die.”

As if the goddess herself agreed to that declaration, one of the trees in Castle Blaiddyd split in half as lightning struck it down, bathing the entire castle in a flash of white light.

“What she has done is unforgivable.” Dimitri proclaimed in a low growl, earning a gentle and eerily calm smile from the woman pressing against him, “For those who had died for her, for those who had been killed by her and her ambition… for every single person who had suffered and is still suffering because of her selfishness…”

Thunder struck once more and the light bathed the manic smile on the archbishop’s face as she heard him growl, “I will take her head off from her shoulders and hang it from the gates of Enbarr.” 

**Author's Note:**

> As per usual, here are the hanakobota of the flower for this Crimson Flower AU: Lilies  
> (There's a lot this time)  
> (All) Pure, True, Genuine  
> (All) Purity  
> (All) Dignity, Regal  
> (White) Pure, True, Genuine  
> (White) Purity  
> (Red & Pink) Vanity  
> (Yellow) Lie, False  
> (Yellow) Cheerful, Lively  
> (Orange) Magnificent, Gorgeous  
> (Orange) Cheerful, Happy, Delightful  
> (Orange) Rash, Careless, Thoughtless


End file.
